Machine for making fabric



Patented May 5, 1931 "UNITED, STATES ,TPAVTENT :OZFFICET CARL KAPPLER, or PHILADELPI-HA, PENNSYLXfANmlAflSSI GNOR TO sriuoiw' I BERGER, or PHILADELPHIA,'PEN1\TSYLVANIA MACHINE FOR irAirnterABmc Application filed August 1, 1928. Serial No. 296,712.

' This-invention relates to a machine adapted for the manufacture of an open-work'fabric, and particularly relates to. a machine capableof producing fringe on ;a' fabric having warp threads consisting of chainstitches in- 'terlo'cked with ffiller threads. 1

A; satisfactory open work fabric particularly adapted forthe production oftowels, Wash-cloths andother similar goods has been found to be a fabric which iscomposed of chains of knitted loops connecting filler threads which are deflected cross-wise of said spaces being left betwe'enadjacent chains at certain portions whichare devoid'of crossing threads, thus increasingthe porosity and openness of the fabric-. Priortothe fabric disclosed in the Olewley-patent referred-to above, such fabric was. madeusinga single threadfor-each'line of chain stitches. chainsin fsuch fabricwould readily unravel.

Such possibility offunravelling was i avoided "bythe adoption of'the mode of manufacture disclosed in the Clewl'ey patent.

1 The machine of the presentiinvention may be 'u'sedto so modify-either the fabric disclosed in the'Clewley patent ;or that. formed {prior to theuse of the .fabric'disclosed in the Clewley patent, imparting thereto. not only an ornamental fringe but also by forming-a tightly bound fringe, eliminatingto a very.

high degree the possibility of unravelling, which usually commences at the cut end i of "the fabric. Y

It'is a'primary objectof thepresent'inven- .tion, accordingly, to provide a machine which will operate to produce an open-work fabric of the typeidescribedhaving fringe portions between successive lengths. thereof which may be cut with the provision of fringe on {the individual "articles formed,

and which fringe will have the threads composing the same sotightly bound together that ravelling is prevented. A further object of the :presentinvention consistsin-the The movement in the usual manner.

*form the fabric disclosed only two guide bars are necessary, the front guide barsv carrying provision of a simple mechanism? to. accomplish the'results sought for. Theseobjects will .become more apparent as the following description'is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in iwhich Y FigJl-is' an elevation of a portion of the rear of a knitting mechanism showing the control means for producing the results indicated above. v p V r v r Fig, 2 isan'end elevation of the mechanism 560 shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is'a horizontal-sectional view ion a plane directly above the horizontal arm of lever 16 showing the control mechanism of Figs.1and2. h p Fi 4 is a pattern-chain adapted to control the t read guides.

Fig. 5 is a second chain arranged to control the thread guides. r

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of a section of fabric produced by the machine.

Fig.7 is adiagrammatic representation illustrating the interaction between the lines of chain stitches and the filler threads. V

The'machine of the present invention is. or

a common construction used in the artiand the same isaccordingly not shown in detail, refer- .ence being fmade to Aaron Patents Nos.

7 79,109 and 781,387, dated respectively, January 3,; 1905, andJanuary 31, 1905, which dis- ;.g

,close'details of construction. As illustrated inFig. 1, the machine comprises a plurality of upstanding latch needles. 2 carried by a reciprocating needle bar 4, Threadsare fed to these needles and crossed between themes in order to form filling by means of. thread guides 6 carried by guide bars 8,v which are mounted for oscillatory and longitudinal Threads 10 are fed to the thread guides from a suitable J beam or beams 12 mounted in the frame of the machine. Guide bars 8 have imparted thereto their longitudinal movements through'links'l'et. In the present machine, to

link q nectedto the rear guida aris'sesured it at its outer end to a bell crank lever 16. The front guide bar is similarly secured to a bell crank lever 18. These bell crank levers have horizontal arms provided with followers 20 which ride over the pattern chains. A drum 22, suitably mounted in the frame, is driven through a pair of gears 24 from a shaft 26, which forms part of the operating mechanism of the machine. A chain 28 which is driven by means of teeth on drum 22, is provided with cam portions which engage the follower of bell crank lever 18 and thus impart suitable longitudinal movement to the guide bar operated thereby.

It will be noted that bell crank lever 18 is mounted in a fixed axial position on a shaft carried by the frame of the machine. Bell crank lever 16 is loosely mounted on the same shaft and is pressed in one direction by a spring 30. When moved into the position into which it is urged by spring 30, the follower of lever 16 engages a chain 32 carried by the drum. A second chain 34 is carried by the drum at one side of chain 32. Pivoted to the frame of the machine is a bell crank lever 36 which has a forked end 38 engaging in the hub of lever 16 to move the same axially against the pressure of spring 30, so that the follower carried by lever 16 may be brought over chain 34. It will thus be observed that a rocking of lever 36 will cause a selective operation of bell crank 16 by either chain 32 or chain 34, so as to produce thereby a different cycle of movement of the rear guide bar.

Rocking movement is imparted to bell crank 36 by means of a cam 40 provided with an outwardly extendingnose 42 which, by engagement with the horizontal arm of the by chain'34. Cam 40 is, through the medium of suitable gears, driven from a shaft which carries a ratchet wheel 44. A detent 46 prevents rotation of ratchet wheel 44 in one direction while permitting its free movement in the other direction. A third chain 50, carried by drum 22, is provided with a link having an upstanding cam portion 48, which cam portion is adapted, during the movement of chain 50, to engage with the teeth of ratchet wheel 44 and'move the same through an arc corresponding to one tooth during each complete cycle of movement of chain 50.

A brake 52 is provided for beam 12 and comprises a lever pivoted at 54 to the frame of the'machine. A link 56, pivoted at its lower end to the horizontal arm of bell crank 36, extends upwardly through a bracket 58 in brake lever 52 and is provided at its top with a thumb nut 60. Interposed between bracket 58 and thumb nut 60 is a spring 62. By adjustment of thumb nut 60, the tension -of the spring may be so regulated as to regulate the tension on drum 12 and accordingly the tension on threads 10. Upon oscillation bell crank, will cause lever 16 to be actuated crank 16 will be operated by chain 32 to feed the threads passing through the rear thread guides cross-wise of the chains, so as to interlock the filler threads therewith. Reference to Fig. 4 will show that chain 32, a

portion of which is shown, consists of links having three different heights. The resultant action forms a fabric 64 in the manner diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 7 in which lines 66 represent the lines of chain stitches and 68 represent the filler threads interlocked therewith. It will be noted that during a portion of a cycle, the filler threads are given a relatively slight oscillation, while at other times a large oscillation is imparted thereto, so that they are carried across a series of chains adjacent those with which they were previously interlocked. The result is the production of a fabric such as illustrated at the top and bottom of Fig. 6, having staggered openings therein. The appearance of this fabric is well shown in Clewley Patent No. 7 52,033, dated Feb. 16, 1904.

During the rotation of drum 22, it will be observed that chain 50 will be carried around therewith, and during each complete cycle of chain 50, cam portion 48 carried thereby will engage ratchet wheel 44, advancing the same a distance corresponding to one of the teeth thereof. Accordingly, during each cycle consisting of a number of cycles of movement of chain 50 corresponding to the number ofteeth on ratchet wheel 44, nose 42 will be brought into engagement with lever 36, rocking the same in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. Upon the bringing of nose 42 into contact with lever 36, it will remain in such position until chain 50 passes through another cycle of movement. It will then be released therefrom by movement of ratchet wheel 44.

' During the period when lever 36 is oscillated as described, lever 16 is brought over chain 34 which, as shown in Fig. 5, comprises alternate high and low portions which will produce a zig-zag motion of filler threads 68. At the same time, the tension on beam 12 is increased. As a result, fringe portion 70 will be produced, corresponding in length to the cycle consisting of a single revolution of chain 50.

Upon movement of nose'42 out of engagement with lever 36, lever 16 moves forwardly into engagement with chain 32 and the old cycles, forming the body of the fabric, are resumed. Another fringe section Will then not be produced until a complete revolution of nose 42 takes place, Which, as stated above, only occurs after chain has passed through a number of cycles corresponding to the number of teeth in ratchet Wheel 44:.

It will be obvious that by changing the number of links in the various chains and the height of the cam portions thereof, that the characteristics of thefabric may be readily changed. The interval between the successive fringe portions may obviously be changed by replacement of ratchet Wheel 44 V or of chain 50. The machine may also be used to manufacture various types of fabric, so that the disclosure is not intended to limit this invent-ion to a machine for making only the particular fabric disclosed.

Having now fully described my invention, What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In a fabric making machine including a plurality of needles and thread guides movable to present threads to said needles, a plurality of means for controlling the movements of the thread guides, means for selectively rendering the controlling means operative, spring pressed means for maintaining a definite and substantial minimum tension upon a group of threads passing to the needles, and means for increasing the tension 7 during operation under the control of one of the controlling means.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on this 16th day of July, 1928.

CARL F. KAPPLER. 

